What happens when all you want to do is play your sax,

but you end up crossing a gangster??

Find out when you read Harlem Summer!

Before Reading

About the Author…..

I was born on a Thursday, the 12th of August, 1937, in Martinsburg, West Virginia. My name at birth was Walter Milton Myers. For some strange reason I was given to a man named Herbert Dean who lived in Harlem. I consider it strange because I don't know why I was given away. I was raised in Harlem by Herbert and his wife, Florence. Herbert was African American. Florence was German and Native American and wonderful and loved me very much. As a child my life centered around the neighborhood and the church. The neighborhood protected me and the church guided me. I resisted as much as I could. I was smart (all kids are smart) but didn't do that well in school. I dropped out of high school (although now Stuyvesant High claims me as a graduate) and joined the army on my 17th birthday. Basketball has always been a passion of mine. Sometimes at night I lie in bed thinking about games I've played. Sometimes I think about what would have happened if I had gone into the NBA (I was never good enough) or college ball. Anyway.... I wrote well in high school and a teacher (bless her!) recognized this and also knew I was going to drop out. She advised me to keep on writing no matter what happened to me. "It's what you do," she said. I didn't know exactly what that meant but,years later, working on a construction job in New York, I remembered her words. I began writing at night and eventually began writing about the most difficult period of my own life, the teen years. That's what I do. --Walter Dean Myers

Awards won by Walter Dean Myers:

Michael L. Printz Award

Coretta Scott King Award for Authors Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature

Newbery Honor Jane Addams Chldren's Book Awards for Picture Book

The Harlem Renaissance

Questions we will answer:

1. What was it like to live in the 1920’s during Prohibition? 2. Where is Harlem? 3. What is the Harlem Renaissance? 4. Who were some of the famous people who made contributions during the Harlem Renaissance?

1. What was it like to live in the 1920’s during the Prohibition era?

From www.classzone.com

First, answer this question through reading a short overview:

After World War I, research and development propelled the United States and other industrial countries into the age of modern technology. Advances in transportation, communication, and manufacturing allowed middle-class consumers to buy cars, radios, and home appliances, which they saw advertised in magazines and newspapers. In their leisure time, people crowded into huge movie theaters to gaze at films featuring their favorite stars. Wartime inventions like electric starters and air-filled tires made modern and beautiful automobiles possible. Cars now became sleek vehicles graced with chrome-plated bumpers. Before the war, only the rich could afford such cars. But when prices dropped after the war, demand skyrocketed, and manufacturers increased production. Now car ownership came within range for middle-class buyers. Guglielmo Marconi had conducted the first successful experiments with radio in 1895. But only during World War I did developed countries fully begin to exploit the advantages of wireless communication. The world's first commercial radio station, KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, began broadcasting in 1920. Within a few years, almost every major city in the United States was broadcasting news, plays, music, and sporting events. Just as during the 1950’s large numbers of families began buying television sets, in the 1920’s most families bought their first radio. Outside the home, popular entertainment in the 1920’s meant going to the movies. These movies stayed open from 1 P.M. to 11 P.M. every day of the year. How did Americans in the 1920s find the time to enjoy these new forms of entertainment? During this period, machines, such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and refrigerators increased leisure time by reducing the time it took to do housework. During this time, our government also passed laws that made the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages illegal. The law was passed in 1920 and was repealed in 1933. This was called Prohibition. During this time, there were places called “speakeasies” where people would go to illegally drink alcohol.

Second, answer this question through viewing a video about the Prohibition era: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiYqFXmVAFg

Write down three facts you learned about the Prohibition era from this video: 1. 2. 3.

2. Where is Harlem?

If you wanted to visit Harlem, you would have to cross the state and go through New Jersey into New York City!

A. What do you know about New York City? B. What do you know about Harlem? C. Have you ever visited New York City or Harlem? If not, would you like to? Why or why not?

3. What is the Harlem Renaissance? From http://pbskids.org/bigapplehistory/arts/topic9.html

For aspiring African-American writers in the 1920s, Harlem was the place to be. Never before in America had there been such a creative environment for black poets, playwrights, novelists, essayists, artists, and musicians. While blacks in other cities faced race riots, many in Harlem were able to thrive in a supportive community. This neighborhood gave birth to a lively cultural movement called the Harlem Renaissance. One aspect of the Harlem Renaissance was a literary flowering. Countless black writers eagerly moved to Harlem to nurture their talent and help define the African-American experience. Coming to Manhattan enabled them to meet with powerful white editors and patrons who wanted to publish and support their work. White American intellectuals became enchanted with the so-called "New Negro." Furthermore, since many jobs in New York discriminated against blacks, the arts provided a way for them to achieve tremendous success, as well as a forum for commenting on racial unfairness. Important figures from the period include Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, and A'Lelia Walker. African-American writers believed that by writing stories, plays, and poems based on their personal experiences, they could unite black Americans and change people's attitudes about racism.

4. Who were some of the famous people who made contributions during the Harlem

Renaissance? Open the book Harlem Summer. Turn to page 153. Glance through pages 153-165. Look at the pictures, and read their descriptions. These are all real people and places written about in this book! Now choose three of the people that seem most interesting to you, and fill in the following chart about them. Name of the person Describe the picture. What did he or she do to be famous?

During Reading

You will not be answering study guide questions during our reading of this book. Instead, you will be communicating with the others in the class through sticky notes! Every day, after we finish reading, you will be responsible for putting up three sticky notes:

On one you will write a BURNING QUESTION that you can’t wait until the next day to get answered. On another, you will write a CLEVER CONNECTION that you discovered between the book and your life.

On a last one, you will write a WONDERING that you have about the book or its characters.

You will receive two points per sticky note per day!

Burning Question Example:

“Where did Crab Cakes take that truck?”

Clever Connection Example: “I watched a gangster movie called The Godfather. Dutch reminds

me of a character in it.”

Wondering Wall Example: “I wonder why Mark doesn’t just ask his parents for help.”

Vocabulary Words

Vocabulary Word Definition

plebian (noun)--p.33

cabaret (noun)--p.34

notorious (adjective)--p.37

bootlegged (adjective)--p.42

lynch (verb)--p.48

sanctified (adjective)--p.54

mingle (verb)--p.63

degradation (noun)--p.93

embark (verb)--p. 109

mourning (adjective)p. 131

miscreants (noun)p. 138

Character Circles We all have circles of people in our lives. You have peers at school, family at home, friends in your neighborhood, and people with whom you work. They could be described even as different friend groups on Facebook. Here are the circles of people in Mark’s life. Describe each one in just a few

words.

Mark Purvis (Protagonist):

Family Circle

Mom:

Dad: Matt: Uncle Cephus and

Aunt Carolyn:

Peer Circle

Work Circle Antagonist Circle

Fats Waller:

Henry: Randy: Crab Cakes:

Miss Jessie Fauset:

Dr. DuBois Langston Hughes:

Aussie Farrell:

Dutch Schultz:

Bumpy Johnson

Queenie:

After Reading

Final Project: Socratic Seminar Developed by Ben Herendeen, Sodus High School, NY

This process is based on Socrates’ method of teaching. That is, we learn best by continuing to ask questions rather than arrive at answers. You will be expected to participate. You will be graded on your participation, as well as your preparation for the seminar. Your statements must be backed up by materials we have used in class. In order for seminar to work, everyone must be respected. We all have different experiences, so we all have something different and valuable to contribute to these dialogues. Please recognize this when participating. If you have something to say, speak up; you will be respected. If you feel you’ve been taking too much time, be respectful and draw others into the dialogue. For our seminar, we will look at several discussion questions for the novel that will guide the dialogue. The questions are on the last page of this assignment. You must write out your answers to the questions before class. You should have at least one sentence for each question with at least one quote from the novel that backs up your assertions. You will also be responsible for filling out a rubric about another student’s participation in the seminar. EXPECTATATIONS FOR SOCRATIC SEMINAR 1. Be prepared. You should have your study guide for the unit, written assignment, and be familiar with the reference material. You should be referencing the material during the seminar. 2. Speak up. If you say nothing, you won’t get above a “C” for the seminar. 3. Be respectful. Disagree without being disagreeable, don’t monopolize the conversation, and don’t interrupt others. 4. Be relevant. Stay on topic, avoid “sound bites,” and don’t be repetitive. 5. Be open. Seminar is not about being right; it is about fully exploring the topic. It is arrogant to think that we will close the door on discussion on a given topic in 40 minutes.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Write out your answers to these questions BEFORE seminar day! You must write at least three sentences for each question that back up your words. Two of the sentences can be your personal feeling, and the third should refer to the quote or the book itself. 1. QUOTE (page 77): “What I was beginning to catch on to was that there were a lot of people who lived in an ordinary way and did okay with their lives. Then there were people who were always trying to do something great, and they were probably the New Negro crowd. “ QUESTION: What does it mean to be successful in life? Does it mean that you are simply happy and doing all right, or does it mean that you do something the world considers to be great? 2. QUOTE (page 79): “You think the Negroes would win?” “I know they would.” “Isn’t that just racial prejudice the same as some white people got?” I asked. QUESTION: Is it still prejudice if African Americans think they are better than white people? Or is prejudice only when white people are against people of other races? 3. QUOTE (page 122): “You know, Mark, at the beginning of summer I was getting really tired of being a teenager, having my parents tell me what to do. I wanted some being on my own. Now I’m not so sure.” QUESTION: Are you tired of adults telling you what to do? Do you really think you are ready to be on your own? 4. QUOTE (page 123): “With so many kinds of people around I didn’t know how anyone could make a decision as to which one they wanted to be. The thing was, there might even be people somewhere living in a way that I would like even better, and I just hadn’t met them yet.” QUESTION: How do you make a decision about what type of person you want to be when you grow up? Who is your role model?

Socratic Seminar Participant Rules: Refer to the text/notes.

Be prepared. Stick to the point.

Listen actively. Speak up.

This seminar will be as good as you make it!

Socratic Seminar Rubric

NAME: ___________________________________________________ 5 4 3 2 Conduct

*Patient with differing opinions. *Asks for clarification. *Brings others into the dialogue. *Very focused on the dialogue.

*Respectful. *Comments, but does not attempt to involve others. *Generally focused.

*Participates but shows impatience. *Some focus. *Engages in “sidebar” conversations.

*Disrespectful. *Argumentative. *Does not participate.

Speaking

*Speaks to all participants. *Articulate. *Takes a leadership role without monopolizing the discussion. • Speaks at least twice during seminar.

*Speaks to most participants. *Attempts to move on to new ideas. *Tends to “ramble on” after making a point. • Speaks at least once during seminar.

*Speaks too softly. *Needs prompting to get involved. *Has no sustainable point; uses “sound bites.” *Monopolizes the discussion.

*Reluctant to speak. *Comments do not support point.

Reasoning

*Cites relevant text. *Relates topic to outside knowledge and other topics. *Makes connections between own thoughts and others’. *Willing to take an alternate viewpoint. *Asks questions to further dialogue.

*Makes limited connections to others’ ideas. *Some intriguing points that merit reaction. *Some references to text.

*Accurate on minor points, but misses the main point. *No textual support; “talking off the top of your head.” *Refuses to acknowledge alternate viewpoints.

*Illogical comments. *Ignores the movement of the seminar.

Listening *Writes down comments, questions, ideas. *Builds on other’s ideas & gives others credit. •Carefully listens to assigned student and marks appropriate comments on the rubric.

*Generally attentive and focused. *Responds thoughtfully. *Listens to assigned student and marks some appropriate comments on the rubric.

*Appears disconnected. •Sometimes listens to assigned student and marks few comments on the rubric.

*Inattentive. *Comments show lack of understanding. •Does not listen to assigned student and marks no comments on the rubric.

Reading/ Preparation

*Familiar with text. *Understands major concepts. *Writing assignment complete and used quotes. * Study Guide brought to class. *Was well prepared

*Fairly familiar with text. *Asks for references. *Writing assignment complete but without quotes. *A few notes are incomplete. *Was mostly prepared

*Confused with key concepts of text. *Writing assignment may be completed *Some notes are incomplete or missing. *Occasionally prepared

*Unfamiliar with text. *Writing assignment may be completed *Notes are not complete, many missing assignments. *Very much unprepared

Total Score: ___________/25